Favor Trading in Public Good Provision

Sarah Jacobson and Ragan Petrie
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Dalia S. Hakura

No 2010-19, Department of Economics Working Papers from Department of Economics, Williams College

Abstract: Grassroots fundraising leverages favor trading in social networks to support the provision of a public good. We use a laboratory experiment to study the elements and dynamics of this type of institution. Peer-to-peer reciprocity is important, and having the ability to practice targeted reciprocity in our experiment increases contributions to the public good by 14%. Subjects reward group members who have previously been generous to them and withhold rewards from ungenerous group members. When someone is rendered unable to benefit from favor trading, he gives much less to the public good than he does in other settings. People thus excluded from the "circle of giving" provide a clean and strict test of indirect reciprocity, since they cannot benefit from a norm of cooperation. Contrary to previous studies, we do not observe indirect reciprocity.

Keywords: public goods; reciprocity; experiment; peer-to-peer fundraising (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C91 D01 H41 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 54 pages
Date: 2010-10, Revised 2013-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-mig
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Favor trading in public good provision (2014)
Working Paper: Favor Trading in Public Good Provision (2013)
Working Paper: Favor Trading in Public Good Provision (2012)
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